It is 450 years since the world’s greatest playwright William Shakespeare was born, with the Bard’s trailblazing legacy living on to astound the universal psyche.

Wednesday marked the point in history when Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, west of London, in 1564.

"Some are born great...," Shakespeare wrote in the comedy 'Twelfth Night,' apparently modifying his own greatness, which took him as far as performing at royal court for Queen Elizabeth I.

The Bard wrote "All the world's a stage" in the comedy 'As You Like It.' As if bearing the line out, the production company for Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is launching a two-year world tour of Hamlet to coincide with his birthday.

The Globe's Artistic Director, Dominic Dromgoole said, "The incredible thing about Shakespeare's work is it's the most wonderful marriage of the public and the private."

"He can talk to a group of people, a theatre audience, about how people live together, about how they make societies together and about how they look after each other and care for each other. He can also talk privately to an individual, he can whisper to you in your ear about love, or about grief, or about loss, or about jealousy, or about ingratitude or a whole plethora of subjects and comfort you and console you and let you know that someone's been to that place before you have," he said.

"People know "To be or not to be," they know "Alas Poor Yorick" with the skull out. But also because it's such a variable play, it's got so many different colors, it's got so many different tones and it can mean so many different things to so many different people. It can console you, it can inspire you, it can provoke, it can challenge, it can help people think about how to change things."

The most translated author ever by the Victoria and Albert Museum’s account, William Shakespeare is survived by 38 plays, 154 sonnets and two long narrative poems.

Honoring his legacy, leading Shakespeare scholars as well as the admirers of the Bard will be attending the International Conference on Shakespeare scheduled to be held in Iran for the first time in 2014 in Tehran.